Whilst they might still be stuck in 6th in the Premier League standings, the mid-season turnaround that Manchester United have experienced has been noteworthy. Despite still not looking like a complete side, they have managed to rack up an impressive fifteen wins on the trot, meaning their top 4 chances are still alive.

One of the main reasons for this resurgence has been the revamping of the midfield. Paul Pogba has looked at his best since Jose Mourinho has switched to a three-man midfield, but one cannot fault how good Michael Carrick has been as the anchor, despite not getting any younger.

However, the contributions of Ander Herrera have somewhat flown under the radar. The Spaniard has been a key component of United’s pressing and transitions and Squawka recently released the stats to back that up; Herrera leads the likes of Harry Arter and N’Golo Kante in terms of interceptions and tackles in the opposition half.

See the proof of Herrera’s consistency below:

Most Premier League interceptions & tackles won in the opposition’s half this season:

Not even close to being a top level defensive midfielder, sorry. A decent player without a doubt but not at the races against the truly great midfielders United have been blessed with over the years. Relentlessly sideways and backwards, he usually treats the ball like it is a disease. He can’t head the ball, his positional sense is questionable and there is little creativity. Also, he wont score many goals. United should heed the fact that replacing great players with good players is still a dip in standards. If United want to win championships again, they need midfielders that are better than the rest. Herrera is absolutely not better than the rest.